Liquid Courage
by apollo'sgay
Summary: AU. Naruto wished that he didn't answer that 2:37 am call, maybe then things wouldn't get awkward, after all it's not everyday an incoherent Uchiha answers in the other line. SasuNaru.


Disclaimer: Naruto is still owned by Masashi Kishimoto but the Copyright Law says that 50 years after his death, it will be public property… Hmm…

Chapter 1: Your Call

He was thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. It seems to him that the meaning of the universe was within his grasp; anything was possible in that moment. It seems that his life - his entire being could be compressed into this singular moment in time. The silence pervading the room afforded him the much clarity that he needed to be able to reflect on things. There are times that he hated, loathed with a passion being an insomniac.

_Sonzai to shinkokyuu no genjitsu no mae ni idomou to suru shisen wa_

_Machigai mo tomadoi mo zenbu yakitsukeru_

The silent meandering of his thoughts was broken in an instant. For a moment he wondered, _"What is that noise?" _only to realize it was his phone ringing at 2:37 am. Without bothering to look at the Caller ID he picked it up. Party music could be heard in the background, _like static_ he thought. People were shouting, singing, a frenzy of beats coming together as one. A stark contrast to the silent apartment.

"_Naruto. Tell me a secret…" _the noises blurred together but he could tell who was on the line.

"Sasuke. Sasuke. I can't hear you." Sasuke, the one who called, kept saying something rendered intelligible by the background noise. Naruto tried to listen harder.

"_I'm at a party." _A loud "DUH" resounded in Naruto's mind.

"_I'm drunk." _A hundred points for the Uchiha.

"_No one's picking up." _Ouch. That struck deep but Naruto is great at ignoring these things. He choose to pay attention to what Sasuke was saying than pay heed to the previous statement.

"_A secret… Tell me a secret… Don't tell anyone.. Tell me… Don't tell anyone…" _It felt as if Naruto was submerged in the ocean, nothing was coming through clearly, Sasuke's words smothered by the loud beats and cheers. It was still intelligible. Naruto thought for a while what he should tell his… friend? Best friend? Classmate? Acquaintance? They've known each other for four years yet it is still not enough, not enough time to grow, not enough time to trust. Sasuke kept on urging Naruto to tell him a secret, at least that's what Naruto thought Sasuke wanted.

"Sasuke. Are you okay? Is calling me from your cell phone okay? I mean, you might incur a large debt on your phone bills and no sane college student wants that. Hello?" Only the heavy _thump - thump-thumps _filtered in the phone. Finally,

"_It's okay… Dobe. Now, tell me."_

"Oh. Uhm… Hmm.. A secret. I've… I've… I've attempted… uhmm… suicide five times."

Silence. _"What?"_

"I… _deep breathe… _I tried to kill myself five times." It came out with more conviction this time.

"_No. No. No. A secret about Sai. During our last Calculus class, he was whispering something to you." _

Pain. Naruto wondered briefly how words easily crumbled his heart but he's good at ignoring things just as Sasuke is good at ignoring problems that does not concern him. Ever the optimistic one, Naruto asked Sasuke to clear his odd request. A drunken Sasuke is a very eccentric Sasuke.

"_Naruto. Dobe, I want you to tell me a secret. Don't tell anyone that I asked you. .. Were you and Sai talking about Sakura again?" _Sakura. The kindest and smartest girl in their class. Sasuke called _at 2:37 am _to ask about _Sakura_. Sasuke who _never talks_ spewed more words than Naruto in their conversation _over Sakura. _

"Is there someone singing? I hear someone singing."

"_I am at a party. Dobe."_

"Teme."

"_Answer me. What were you two talking about? Are you two still in love with Sakura or what? I heard her name mentioned." _

"Lo- lo-love?! Ah. I can't recall anything about that. _embarrassed laugh_ I can't remember what we were talking about.. Actually I can but it definitely wasn't about Sakura." Naruto tried to calm his shaking hands.

"_Hn." _Party music again. Naruto bit his tongue to keep himself from asking if Sasuke really liked Sakura that much. If Sasuke really liked Sakura that much then how come he is an all around bastard to everyone, he ignores everyone at school and hardly gives any time of the day to the girls - including Sakura. He barely tolerates Naruto and Naruto is the only one he talks to willingly.

"_You're not telling me something, Dobe."_

"What? Sorry. I can't hear you quite well." Denial.

"_Tell me." _Insistence. Anger flared in Naruto's heart but he quelled it immediately. _I don't have a right to feel this way._

" Sai… he… Uhmm.. How should I say this?…"

"_Naruto. Tell me.. NOW." _a growl .

"Sai. He told me he likes me and he wants to start a relationship… Teme." All said in one breath, the last one almost an afterthought thrown in just to get everything seem normal.

Sasuke didn't speak for a while. Naruto tried to kill the faint hope fluttering in his somewhat always mended heart. _Could it be? _The beats rolling off as waves were the only ones reaching his ears. _Could it be?_

"_Hn. That's all?" _Shattered. How can Sasuke make him feel whole in one moment and broken the next. Well, more often than not he's always left feeling broken.

"Yeah. That's all. Sorry, there's not much excitement there."

"_Hn. What did you tell him?"_

"Sasuke, you're drunk. And it's no business of yours what my answer might have been. Besides this topic is hardly appropriate for a phone conversation."

"_Yeah, yeah. Just don't tell anyone, okay? I'm at a party. I'm drunk. " _No resistance. None of that insistence before. Dismissed all too easily.

"Hey, don't drink anymore okay? You might get those nasty rashes like the last time. Don't forget to rink lots of fluids, water flushes down al those toxins. Drink water and get a good night's rest." _I still can't help but worry for him._

"_Yeah. Yeah. Fine. Good bye."_

"Sure. Good morning."

"_And… Naruto?"_

"Hmm?"

"_Happy Birthday." _Click. The line went dead. If it was possible, Naruto felt even worse after that eight minute call. He lied back on his bed and resumed staring at the ceiling.

The date reflected on his phone was October 11, 2009.

A/N: Please don't kill me… This is a SasuNaru fanfic. I repeat a SasuNaru fanfic. All will be revealed at the following chapters so I hope you guys stay tuned. And sorry for the vagueness, I meant to do that.

No clarity of thoughts for the author at 2:37 am.

Please review? Thank you!!!


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